Page 51 of Fake

“After is not in our contract.”

She frowns, then disappointment softens her outrage. “I guess that’s true. I just thought…” She’s quiet now. I’ve hurt her feelings.

Damn it. I don’t want to play the villain with her anymore.

“You know what?” she says. “It doesn’t matter.”

Her focus is out the window, her lip caught between her teeth and in that moment, I realize that somewhere along the way, she stopped hating me and I stopped hating her. Inexplicably, our fake relationship has blurred into something real, and I’ve been an absolute dick this morning…because I’m angry at myself for liking her.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You just thought what?” I ask, trying to erase the bite in my voice.

“It doesn’t matter,” Mina replies, amping up the bite in hers.

“It does matter. Look, I’m being an asshole and I’m sorry. I’m grumpy and I don’t like knowing you live in this cheap apartment, and I like it even less knowing you’re surrounded by dick weasels who keep you up all night and that makes me uncomfortable because we aren’t, you and I, we’re not supposed…”

I’m not supposed to like you, but I do.

I’m not supposed to want you, but I do.

I shake my head and almost growl but refuse to give her the pleasure. “Can we start over?”

Mina stares like I’ve lost my mind.

I get out of the car, cross in front, open her door to take her elbow and pull her out with me.

“What are you doing?” she squawks as I drag her up the steps and stop in front of her door while a stunned Ms. Markowitz and her cat watch with enough interest to be Fallon fucking Mae drafting her next headline.

Wouldn’t that be a kick to the gut?

If Fallon Mae turned out to be Mina’s neighbor and she didn’t think that was something I should know?

“Unlock it.” I rattle the doorknob to make my point.

“What?” Mina steps back, eyeing me like I might be dangerous. “Why?”

“Please,” I add, as gently as possible. “Just unlock it.”

Frowning, Mina does as I ask. I open the door, tenderly shove her inside, then close it between us while she squeaks in dismay. With a deep sigh, I remove my sunglasses, scrub my face, and conjure a smile before smoothing my shirt, squaring my shoulders, and ringing the bell.

The door flies open to reveal a distraught Mina. “What the hell, Nathan?”

“Good morning, HM,” I say. “You look absolutely gorgeous as usual.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Arms crossed. Chin jutted. Brows furrowed. Eyes glittering.

I have a way to go to earn her forgiveness.

“Treating you the way you deserve to be treated.”

“Does that mean I get to treat you the way you deserve? Because I don’t know how much you’ll like that.” That ball-busting glee is back in her eyes, right where it belongs.

“You be you and all will be good.”

There’s a pause followed by a strange smile, Mina steps back outside and locks the door again. With my hand firmly on her lower back, I guide her to the passenger side, open the door, then close it gently once she’s safely inside.

“It was nice to meet you,” I say to Ms. Markowitz as I cross in front of the car for the fourteenth time. She nods, petting her cat and watching with curiosity.

After the last twenty-four hours I know one thing for sure:

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